So we have a thread for flipping our shits. Lets have a thread for those moments when everything is just going AMAZINGLY. Like a place to share those little things that make you smile! Is the sunrise just FANTASTIC today? Did you ace that exam? Are you super psyched about a job interview? (this is me. I am psyched.) Or maybe you just need a little pick-me-up before going on to the next thing?

This is the thread for that!

For me, I am super psyched that we have such a fun community here! I've spent a good chuck of the last couple of years hanging out with you guys and it's been a blast!

Also I actually called a place that I wanted to hire me for the first time! Normally my jobs are just walk-in fill out application or have something just land in my lap. But this time I went ahead (despite my reservations) and gave them a call. Turns out I've talked to the neighbor of one of the guys who work there? He gave me his cell phone and told me to come on in when I get a chance.

It's not a promise of a job by any means, but it definitely makes me more hopeful than I have been!

Spoiler :

Spouting Joy is not something I normally do, nor is making solid thread OP's, so I am very rusty at it and probably not the best person to start this thread, but IT NEEDS TO BE DONE!

So my summer job is so awesome. I'm basically hitched onto one of the most prestigious research institutes in New Zealand, that's focussing very specifically on ways to reduce the use of pesticides and herbicides (which are produced from fossil fuels, and additionally require fossil fuels to apply them via chopper or vehicle or what have you) in New Zealand agriculture. Seeing's we get a fair chunk of our money from selling shit you grow on a bit of land, this is important stuff.

The research centre's currently focussed around three facets of growing biodiesel. That's canola, or oil seed rape. Part one's dealing with the chemical mechanics of planting, raising, and harvesting a crop of this stuff in your field, how much resource like fertiliser you have to put in, how it influences crops the following years (crop rotation's a regular thing in Canterbury, which is where the centre and I are based), things like that. Part two's dealing with some kind of symbiotic fungi nobody knows all that much about, and part three's ecosystem bioprotection. That's the part most of the other summer students and I are working on, covering all sorts of novel ways to make biodiesel plants grow better.

I spent my first day on the job making the most of the free wireless internet we've got in our summer student office, and then going and digging up worms (One idea was fertilising canola with treated sewage instead of fossil fuel-based fertiliser, but testing that alternative out on earthworms beforehand to see how it might otherwise affect the soil ecosystem). Tomorrow I have to go and plant buckwheat, lay out some transect lines, and maybe husbandrise some ladybirds.

Did i mention it is also totally okay to be super jealous in this thread? As long as it is in a "oh man I am also super excited for you!"

Oh man Schazer I am also super excited for you! Agricultural engineering was what got me in to studying biology initially. I just the idea of taking a bunch a plants and screwing around with them because, who cares? they're plants. and then maybe getting something awesome out of the mix. Of course I live in Houston which is mainly an oil/medical center and really not that big on agriculture. But yeah keep us updated! (also pictures are probably very appropriate).

On a joy-note. I really like typos. Which is a very good thing because I make them ALL THE TIME. They're just little mistakes that make me smile now and again. Like how I've spent a good Chuck of my time here.

I'm pretty happy that I got into basically every class I wanted to for my second semester of college, especially considering how first semester consisted of dragging my feet through introductory Spanish again, along with an introductory chemistry course. Taking zoology (that's not the course name but that seems to be the course content) should be pretty cool, then chemistry analysis should be interesting too. I'm uh, less excited about another semester of calculus but whatever.

Today I realized I have gone from the cynical sonuvabitch I was in middle school to a generally well-liked guy both online and offline. I'm apparently very good just at speaking, so everyone feels at ease around me; that's made making friends with people right off the bat really easy. And since signing up for improv, I've started to really refine how to be funny at the drop of a hat. And things are picking up in a more personal matter as well, in a way I didn't see coming but am still enjoying enjoy. <3

So basically I went from :C all the time to C: all the time, while making everyone around me into C: at the same time in just a few years.

can I just give a shoutout to Drakenforge for being the BEST PERSON EVER
I just got dungeon defenders from him for christmas, which I have heard nothing than good about! I can't wait to dive right into it!

also also: Pypsy above me for getting me the Humble Indie Bundle some time ago and me never getting the chance to thank you. Aquaria has been super duper fun so far, can't wait to get scared with penumbra :x

Last weekend I found out I passed all of my first semester classes. I had been terrified about one course in particular after I had a bit of a freak out during the final. I intend to do better and make the Dean's list next semester. The money I got for selling my books for this semester more than covered the cost of Spring's books.

I am also completely sure that I'll be heading to San Diego Comic Con this summer. I'm going to need to make sure I find a job to finance all my reckless spending, but other than that the trip is looking very plausible. More importantly, I'll get to spend a few days with a couple very important people I wouldn't get to see otherwise.

I'm getting excited about making forum adventures again, and made good progress on planning Waiter Quest today! It's the first time in a while I've done something both productive and enjoyable, which makes me happy.

Slorange that sounds like it might get a little tedious after a while but on the other hand holy shit you'll be making solar panels! That's totally awesome! Good job*!
*I'm not sure if this is a pun or not.

So apparently my sister applied to Oxford university, attended the interviews for three days (which she told us was a school trip, and told the school was a funeral, complete with forged note) and got accepted by them without anyone else in the house even so much as guessing. I'm pretty impressed, to be honest.

Although you'd think the suddenly influx of letters from Oxford would have tipped us off. But no, apparently.

The joysplosion is more to do with the ludicrous nature of the affair (I'm the only one in the family who currently knows) and holy shit my sister is awesome

how do you not know that i was incredibly happy about Sruix being whoosh's sister? Maybe i have in been in an intense, multiple year love triangle with them, and now i am relieved to find they are the same person. Didn't think of that, huh!?

After trolling someone who hated Christmas because of his abusive parents and forcing us into locking the topic dedicated to Christmas and thus receiving several rather harshly worded PMs from various users (this was none of my doing, they chose to themselves!) about the fact that god damn you just forced someone to lock the topic about Christmas what the hell he did something I have never ever seen anyone on the internet before.

He looked back on his posting history and said “Damn they’re right, I really am a huge asshole”.
And then decided “I should stop being that”.

Honestly this was the one man I absolutely hated, the only person I could legitimately say I couldn’t stand, and this has caused me to gain a huge amount more respect of him. I mean I’d still not seek out his company but damn, I know from personal experience that being bull-headedly stubborn is a terribly hard habit to break out of.

So to cut things short I am now in full possession of my own message board (it means I have to pay for it but I have been offering to do that for over a year), our sole biggest recurring troll (who was completely unbannable) has vowed that he is going to change (and can now be dealt with if he does not without hanging the axe of “I can delete your forum” over our heads) and basically it feels like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

I really really really never expected this to end in any way except this guy going crazy and deleting everything, so this is a far better ending than I could ever have imagined.
Best late Christmas present :)